Scout report on Juventus stalwart Manuel Locatelli portrays the making of a world-class central midfielder. At 26, Locatelli's style of play is marked by a strong ability to recover and retain possession, with both metrics in the top 10% of Serie A midfielders. This ball-playing prowess comes to the fore through his unparalleled progressive passing skills, a trait that sets him apart in the Italian top flight. Unfortunately, these advantages don't seem to translate to seamless chance creation for Locatelli, who ranks worryingly low in this regard, putting him in the bottom quartile of his peers.
His not-so-threatening goal efficiency and modest goal-per-90 stats expose an area for improvement. The Italian international seems comfortable with ball possession - with touches in the top fifth percentile - but struggles to convert these opportunities into direct attacking actions, underlined by his low shots-per-90 and xG metrics. Dribbling also emerges as a weak link, with successful dribbles per 90 languishing in the lower quartiles.
However, Locatelli is a towering presence in the air, with a near-perfect aerial duel win rate, and his overall duels score is equally praiseworthy. He possesses the heart of a lion and the footwork of a dancer while defending his turf, yet his fouls statistic and yellow cards suggest a need for more discipline in his game.
Primarily thriving in the midfield third, Locatelli plays a defensive role but is rarely seen in the attacking third or penalty areas. This might be a strategic direction from the team management, focusing on strengths while mitigating weaknesses in his playing style. Still, more involvement on the offensive front could diversify his skill set and make him an all-round threat.
Overall, Locatelli confirms the adage that form is temporary, but class is permanent. He's an epitome of a midfield maestro who might need to inch out of his comfort zone to climb the ladder of all-round supremacy.
Manuel Locatelli Key stats
Manuel Locatelli Career Trend
Manuel Locatelli Shot Maps
Manuel Locatelli Shot Summary
In the 2024-2025 season, Manuel Locatelli took 1 shots, scoring 0 goals. This output came from an Expected Goals (xG) of 0.02, averaging 0.02 xG per shot.
Right Foot: 0 goals from 1 shots. A 0.0% conversion rate. 0.02 xG per shot.
Left Foot: 0 goals from 0 shots. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.
Headers: 0 goals from 0 headed attempts. A 0% conversion rate. 0 xG per shot.
